POWER TEN (DECEMBER 10, 2007)

Two weeks ago, it was a Miller-Belasco battle for the top spot. Then what happened afterwards?

ARWINDâ€¦ UNSTOPPABLEâ€¦ SANTOS.

PLUG IT: In the following days Iâ€™m going to rehash my annual PBA XMAS RUMBLE. Itâ€™s kind of a Royal Rumble like match where PBA players battle it out instead of wrestlers. Last year, Mark Caguioa won against Marlou Aquino. I wonder how will I script this a week from now?

Anyway, Rodney Santos returned to the Ginebra fold which makes Gary David, Dorian Pena, and Noy Castillo the only other big names that have yet to play in this conference.

Just a thought: So is Peter June Simonâ€™s moniker now â€œThe Double Apostleâ€?

The Mighty Mouse reeled a couple of spots down since Asiâ€™s departure. At least they got a win. Still, with the way things are running I expect Alapag to seriously do more damage in the offensive end.

J-Wash slid out of the POW10 but it is not because of his deteriorating game but due to the strong play of the superstars. He still needs to address the fact that he is a threat and not just a lucky lurker that could drain the shots.

Taking a leave from the POW10 is JOSEPH YEO. Why? He had two consecutive games where he averaged a measly 6.5ppg. Given that heâ€™s pretty much a scoring option other than an all-around threat, he needs to knock those shots down in order to return to the fold.

Next week we could see the presence of Alex Cabagnot, Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade, Rob Wainwright and Yeo trying to dislodge the others from their seedings.

With the Express winning, Ranidel effectively plays the role of Arwind Santosâ€™ wingman. While Santos provides the offense, De Ocampo is reaping board after board. As you can see, Air21 ties TNT with the most number of players in the Top 25 list.

In his last game, Sky-rus was unstoppable. Playing well in all sides of the court, he whirled and twirled on any defense put up by his opponents. Only two things could derail him â€“ pissing off Yeng Guiao (which he has yet to do), and MEASLES, which stopped himâ€¦ for two weeks.

K-Will had an awful night against the Gins last Sunday. Actually it was the first 47 minutes that sucked as Williams saved his best for last, dropping the Gins with his 3-consecutive, cold-blooded triples. He has stepped up in scoring but now he needs consistency in giving his team victories.

Jumping 16 spots upwards, the Rock is certainly enjoying his revitalized game as the Tigersâ€™ leader. Since his entry, Coke has ended their 7-year-itch and came up with their own 2-game win streak. Kenneth Duremdes has become magnificentâ€¦ and Alex Cabagnot is actually playing well. Will things explode or sour with the entry of John Arigo?

Getting the help he previously waned wasnâ€™t enough to stop the Gins thrashing, losing 2 of their last 3 games. Still Mr. Fast is getting the stats for his team, leading the league in assists despite the Kingsâ€™ lack of star power during the initial stages of the tournament.

Kerby retained his fifth spotâ€¦ great. However, this was not the case had there been a POW10 last week. After a 3-game underwhelming performance, the Kid lost his double-figure rebounding momentarily. It took a great game against Welcoat to give him his double-double stats back.

If this was last season you could have laughed if you spot Telanâ€™s name high in the list. However, this season Mark Telan is playing like a marquee man, especially since the arrival of former teammate Asi Taulava in their team. Telan is playing a giant-sized sidekick for the Rock which explains his insane averages.

It should have been Nic Belasco on the top spotâ€¦ seriously. Without Reyes you expect him to double-up his averages. Instead we saw that Belasco needed Jay-R to grab those boards. Belasco has been shackled since every team treats him as Welcoatâ€™s import. If Welcoat continues to cede wins, it would be unlikely for St. Nick to get another shot at the top.

Finally the Thriller has been replaced at the top spot. Well, this was not due to his undoing. Quite frankly, Miller has another 30-point performance this conference â€“ his fourth in 12 games. Unusually whenever he scores a large amount of points, his team fails to get the Wâ€™s. Itâ€™s not due to his overshootingâ€¦ although he should watch out for his ill-advised pull-ups.

Wow. If Asi owned last week, this week was owned by this guy. Posting up career highs in scoring for 2 consecutive days?!?! Thatâ€™s simply awe-striking. This week Santos averaged 30.5 points and both of those games resulted to wins. That is what Miller lacks when he posts up those numbers. Slowly Air21 is beginning to creep towards the upper echelon in the standings. And you can blame this guy for that.

As the First Round closes, The race to the top will likely figure with Miller, Belasco, Santos, Raymundo, and the dominating presence of Asi Taulava. Who will be the Best Player when the dust settles?